Posts on the topic of "Middle East"

I wrote here how the media reported that the controversial film, "Innocence of Muslims," was made "with Jewish money, by a Jewish filmmaker" – an Israeli, in fact, trying to "help his native land."

We now know that the filmmaker is really an Egyptian-American Coptic Christian named Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. Yet Associated Press and others failed in this most basic obligation to fact-check.

Not surprisingly, the Muslim world has continued this theme, blaming the Jews for producing the inflammatory anti-Islam film.

This cartoon appeared in the newspapers Ar-Raya (Qatar) and Ash-Shuruq (Algeria).

The caption reads: "The Killing of the US Ambassador in Libya." Note the stars of David on the filmmaker's shirtsleeves.

Tragically, these lies are more than just factual inaccuracies or a PR issue. These myths remain firmly engraved in Arab lore, fomenting an atmosphere of mistrust that will linger for decades, and that ultimately undermine the possibility of peaceful coexistence.

Visitor Comments: 3

(3)
Orrin,
July 26, 2015 3:00 AM

Arabs Lie. Get Used to It.

During the attempted murder of Israel in 1967, the Egyptian and Syrian governments lied to their own people, announcing non-existent victories over the Evil Zionists. Nasser even lied to Hussein to get him to participate.

And the lies continue today: Jews stole "Palestinian" land...the Jews are "occupying" Palestine (and before 1967, was there a sovereign state called Palestine?)...blah blah blah.

With any luck, the rest of the world, except for a few contemptible Jew-haters, really doesn't care enough to help these liars.

If there really is a God, they will all burn in hell.

(2)
Anonymous,
November 1, 2012 1:41 PM

Arabs blame Jews for Toxic Film

The very root of Arab hate comes from their religious leaders. The Arab is then a walking time bomb that is waiting to be ignited and exploded. The mention of religious names and symbols means death even to innocent lives. This is a cult of death. Not life.

(1)
Yaakov,
September 25, 2012 5:46 AM

The Film Was An Excuse, Not the Cause

It is fairly clearly documented that the Arabs had planned an aggressive action against the US Embassy for 9/11 as a terrorist act. This obscure, amateurish film (which noone would have heard of otherwise) was an afterthought. Of course, blaming it on the Jews was gravy.

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Not long ago I picked up a hitchhiker in Israel. I don't usually do so randomly, but this guy had a sincere look about him. He got in and I started the conversation.

"Where are you from?" I asked.

"I was born in Yemen," he answered.

I thought that all the Yemenite Jews had come to Israel on Operation Magic Carpet in 1950. He looked about 18 years old, and my brain quickly calculated that something didn't jive here.

"If you were born in Yemen, when did you come to Israel?" I asked.

"Two weeks ago," he said.

I was shocked. He then told me all about life in Yemen, and about his transition to a far more Western culture. (He was wielding a smartphone and seemed to fit right in.)

It turns out there are about 130 Jews still living in Yemen today. The hitchhiker told me that his family had stayed so long because of business reasons; they left because Yemen has seen a rise in radical Islamic fervor (think USS Cole) and threats against Jews. In 2008, a 30-year-old rabbi was killed when a Yemenite air force pilot told him, "Jew, accept Islam's message" and then shot him five times.

Just this month Aharon Zindani, a 49-year-old Yemenite man, was tragically stabbed to death in what is being described as an anti-Semitic incident. He was buried in Israel on Thursday.

Jews have lived in Yemen uninterrupted for nearly 3,000 years. It's incredible to think that may soon come to an end.

Israel gave up a lot when it signed the 1979 Camp David accords with Egypt: oil fields, a cutting-edge air force base, and a huge security buffer against its southern neighbor.

Israel did get something in return: A solemn promise by the Egyptian government to end its state of belligerence against Israel. This promise was backed up by the United States, and has held – albeit coldly – for three decades.

Now, with the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, this all threatens to fall apart. A new survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project shows that 61 percent of Egyptians favor abandoning the Egypt-Israel peace treaty (up from 54 percent a year ago).

Egypt is now in the midst of presidential elections and the radical Muslim Brotherhood has emerged as the dominant political force. One leading candidate and former Muslim Brotherhood leader, Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, declared: "I do not and will not recognize Israel." In a presidential debate last month, he said that the peace agreement with Israel was a threat to national security and vowed to amend the Camp David Accords: "Israel is an enemy... The majority of Egyptians are enemies of Israel. The agreement with Israel should be revised and the sections which are against our interests should be removed immediately."

This is not an exclusively "Israel problem." The Pew poll also finds that 61 percent of Egyptians believe that the billions of dollars of U.S. aid to Egypt has a "mostly negative" impact. Among the candidates, Aboul Fotouh denounced the assassination of Osama Bin Laden by U.S. forces as an act of "state terrorism."

Next week, the two top candidates will face a run-off vote in the presidential election. One of the contenders, Mohamed Morsy, is chairman of a political party founded by the Muslim Brotherhood after the 2011 Egyptian revolution. At the launch of Morsy's candidacy last month, Egyptian Cleric Safwat Higazi declared before a huge crowd that Morsy will "liberate Jerusalem" as the new capital of the "United States of the Arabs."

The world had hoped that the Arab Spring would usher in a new era of calm and civility in the Middle East. Yet Syria is still slaughtering its citizens, Iran is still hurtling toward the Bomb, and if the Egyptian election itself is any indication, we're in for some very stormy weather.

Visitor Comments: 11

(8)
Frank Adam,
June 13, 2012 9:49 AM

Thirties idiots

First the "Reverend" Higazi 's family comes from Western Saudi Arabia - note the g/j shift in his name and how he pronounces it. Apparently this traffic of families and trade across the Red Sea is quite regular historically and not just in the last century. Further the biggest source of Arab migration is from Egypt to other Arab countries - well censused these hundred years.
Seeing his well oiled demagoguery for the illiterate - or at least uneducated - explains how Hitler & Mussolini led their peoples into the abyss.
Third as with the late unlamented Faisal of Saudi who wanted to pray in Jerusalem before he died; why did the poser not go to pray when Hussein of Jordan held the Haram before1967? If these medioevals really want to just pray, then as peaceful tourists to Jerusalem they can do so - if they have the holiday money to go.
As a small country Israel as to box clever - or as in 56 and even over the Peace with Egypt the big countries willl steal the fruits of its efforts. Do consider the priority of the Moslem "Brothers" might well be to inflict and preserve their Islamic agenda on Egypt and as Iran leave trouble making abroad to subsidising rebels; so Israel should try to preserve the formal peace with Egypt and Jordan which keeps some space time and diplomacy between itself and its neighbours - despite themselves.

(7)
Wassim,
June 13, 2012 6:08 AM

Amnesia and ignorance and delusions of grandeur!

These young martyrs don't remember '67 and '73. Because they don't read, the IDF will have to repeat the lesson anew for every generation!
MB = Muslims Backwards

(6)
Tony Palmer,
June 12, 2012 8:26 PM

No way out other than confrontation

I am an Englishman who tales a very active interest in the Jewish presence in the area that biblically used to be called Judah.
It is frightening to see the massed collective hatred there is against the Jews.
What it means is that the Israelis can never let down their guard with their neighbours. There is such a fundamental deep-seated hatred here that when one thinks about it, it can actually never go away.
Why? Because it is being inculcated into young Arab children as we speak. That means it is set to last at least another generation - and human nature being what it is this hatred could go on in the future for as long as it has gone on in the past! Do your maths!
I am with the Jews and wish them well in their land, but you will need an awful lot of help both from your allies and from God Himself to get through this lot.

(5)
Michal,
June 12, 2012 8:20 PM

Difficult to believe, but they really mean it.

Before the six-day-war, I lived with husband and our first liittle son in Yerucham. Every night I heard Nasser shouting the same things. It reminded me of the shouting of Hitler.In their brains are always how they will kill the Jews.Why can't they think of anything else??? Why is there no improvement? Always the same shouting, the same words, like a prayer-mill. If there would not have been Shavuot, the brit of Hashem with His people Israel, I would despair. But Shavuot took place, is a reality for the Jewish people. And with Hashem beside us, let them all shout as much as they want to. And as more as we turn our lives and our hearts towards Hashem, we will be save. Baruch Hu!

(4)
Scott Edelman,
June 12, 2012 4:48 PM

Sinai

Looks like Israel might have to take back the oil fields, cutting-edge air force base, and huge security buffer against its southern neighbor,...﻿
Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 17a
Ishmael, who tormented Israel so cruelly in the past, and still rules over her(Temple Mount - my words) and persecutes her for her faith. In truth, the exile under Ishmael is the hardest of all exiles,...
Looks like Esau/Amalek have some competition,...Is this a surprise to us?

(3)
Charlie Hall,
June 12, 2012 3:47 PM

Nothing new

The treaty was Sadat's doing. Mubarak never bought into it; he kept a frigidly cold peace because the US bribed him massively. Meanwhile he was using the instruments of the Egyptian government to inflame anti-Semitism, even promoting the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and permitting large scale arms smuggling into Gaza. Furthermore he and his military cronies (who are still in power as I write this) made an accommodation with the Muslim Brotherhood; hence the MB was the only "opposition" to be prepared for free elections.
Fotuoh will not become President of Egypt; he was eliminated in the first round of balloting. The second round is next week; the choice is between Morsy and Ahmed Shafik, who was Mubarak's last Prime Minister. Morsy and Fotuoh together got 42% of the vote and Shafik might get the votes of those who supported two other candidates not connected to political Islam, who shared a total of 55% of the vote. But Shafik is (correctly) viewed as a Mubarak crony and the Egyptian people are sick of the corruption. Another factor is that the Egyptian military intervened to help Shafik in the first round; it is certainly not incredible to imagine that they might do so in the runoff, possibly even stealing the election.

(2)
Gary Katz,
June 12, 2012 3:21 PM

Just a few observations

1. While thousands die needlessly, Higazi will be safely behind the lines.
2. Interesting how nothing was said about Egypt's economic or social problems. Keep the sheep asleep with scapegoat Israel, I guess...
3. These hate mongers keep saying, "Allah willing." I wonder if any Arabs ever think, "If Allah willed it, we wouldn't have lost every war against Israel!"
4. My dream is a giant crowd responding to exhortations to war by chanting, "You first!"
5. If the Muslim Brotherhood takes over Egypt, Israel should publicly invite them to annex Gaza. Then watch all the leaders choke on their own tongues.

Eric,
June 13, 2012 7:39 PM

and a couple more...

Appreciate your insights, Gary, and found them thought-provoking. Especially #4. Quite telling. I just got back from Jerusalem. I was denied entry through a gate to the Temple Mount because I wasn't Muslim. "Only Muslims are allowed to pray here. Not Christians or Jews. You can go to the Western Wall." I think that pretty much sums it all up: which faith would we like to see rule the planet? Because the Jews will let me go there, according to the rules - no problem, and say a prayer of thanks to GOD. And I'm not Jewish. Be strong and courageous, Israel!

Dvirah,
August 13, 2012 2:47 PM

Number 5

Your suggestion number 5 is a great idea! We need creative solutions like that.

(1)
Stanley Tee,
June 12, 2012 2:58 PM

What about the Sinai?

Surely if Egypt renounces (or "revises") the peace treaty, it must then negate ALL of its conditions, including the ones that saw Israel return the Sinai?

gary katz,
June 12, 2012 7:28 PM

dream on

Stanley, technically, you're right, but remember the world holds Israel to a higher standard. So if Egypt abrogated certain terms of the treaty, any retaliation by Israel, such as taking back the Sinai (or even a portion thereof) would be deemed "aggression" or "disproportionate response."
Personally, I doubt Egypt's military will permit the Muslim Brother Hoods from taking Egypt to the brink of war with Israel. They have little desire to get their butts kicked again. If I were them, I'd tell the clerics, "You join the army and lead us into battle - we'll be right behind you!"

"These texts confirm the racist and hostile perception toward the non-Jews, especially those who threaten the 'chosen nation' and stand in the way of its ambitions and hopes. There is no doubt that Israel is the best example of this racist position, both in the level of its daily crimes against the Palestinians and the level of its rejection and contempt for international resolutions and laws."

Another failed attempt by the Arab world to pull itself out of ancient hatreds and into the 21st century.

Visitor Comments: 4

(2)
Anonymous,
May 30, 2012 6:27 PM

what goes round comes around(again)

yet another insideous arab/muslim attempt to turn white into black, good into evil. . When the time to pay for all their misguided attempts at hurting the people of the book, the name of allah and his miscreants will fall into a crack in the earth forever.

(1)
Mikoel,
May 28, 2012 9:30 AM

G-d is great!!!!

Thanks be to our G-d for this project. Although it was made for the purpose of instilling more hatred against Israel, the TRUTH will always prevail. God has opened another door to speak to the Arab world through these books. What was meant for evil, I am sure God will use for the good and for the glory of His Name.

Ilan,
May 28, 2012 6:16 PM

The truth may not prevail

This is a very bad development. I read the Al Jazeera article on it in Arabic and it went on about Jewish supremacism or such nonsense. The Arab world is full of conspiracy theories about the Jews and this will increase it 10-fold. Bad.

Mikoel,
May 30, 2012 7:44 PM

If that is the case, then let us all pray and leave it in the hands of our Almighty G-d.
The pen is indeed mightier than the sword but our Almighty G-d is the mightiest.
Hashem who keepeth Israel neither slumber nor sleeps.

In May 2010, anti-Israel activists got a big boost when armed Turkish militants (with ties to Hamas, Hezbollah and al-Qaeda) were killed in the Gaza Flotilla.

Since then, activists have tried a whole variety of tricks to confront Israel. A much-ballyhooed ship ― audaciously named the Audacity of Hope ― was stopped by the Greek Coast Guard a few minutes after leaving port.

Last month, activists tried a "Million-man March," which fizzled out when only a few hundred people showed up.

Today, hundreds of Europeans had planned to board airplanes for a "flytilla" protest in Israel, but the entire enterprise collapsed when Lufthansa, Air France and other airlines simply denied the right to board and cancelled their tickets.

The best part is this letter from the government of Israel addressed to the Flytilla activists. It makes the point loud and clear that Israel is the lone beacon of civil rights in a largely dictatorial Mideast region.

Passover marks the birth of the Jewish nation 3,300 years ago ― the Exodus from Egypt ― which left millions of Jews as refugees. Yet we persevered, innovated, and built a flourishing new home in the land of Israel. It was, by all estimates, the most successful refugee settlement enterprise in human history.

This got me thinking about events 60 years ago, when 850,000 Jews were forced from their homes in countries like Iraq, Morocco, Yemen and ― ironically ― Egypt. They made their way to Israel, where they were successfully resettled, and today form the core of the modern State of Israel.

Now the Israeli government is reiterating a demand that the Arab League acknowledge responsibility for expelling these Jews from Arab countries and turning them into refugees.

Over the years, the media has been incredibly near-sighted in promoting only the Palestinian half of the refugee story. For example, the Los Angeles Times published an op-ed declaring that "All refugees have the right to return… that cannot be negotiated away." And when the 2011 WikiLeaks diplomatic cables showed that peace negotiations had achieved progress in solving the Palestinian refugee issue, the London Guardian reacted not with joy, but rather by castigating Palestinian leaders for not adopting a sufficiently hard-line stance. (See here and here.)

So as we celebrate the Jewish Exodus from Egypt, it's a good time to reflect on the modern refugee issue. Here's an excellent backgrounder from Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon:

Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia (the country’s supreme religious figure), has declared it "necessary to destroy all the churches” in the Arabian Peninsula. This ruling is based on Muhammad’s declaration that "there cannot to be two religions” in the region, which has long been understood that anything other than Islam is “illegal.”

Saudi Arabia openly practices religious apartheid, with special roads and even entire cities for "Muslims only." Non-Muslim religious activities carry the risk of arrest, imprisonment, lashing and deportation. In 2008, Saudi police arrested 40 Christians for the "crime" of praying in a private house. A notice on the Saudi Airlines website prohibited the possession of any non-Islamic religious symbols – Bibles, crucifixes and the Star of David – mentioning them in the same breath as narcotics, firearms and pornography.

Remember when President George H.W. Bush went to celebrate Thanksgiving with American troops? Saudi authorities protested his intention to say grace, and the celebration had to be moved to international waters aboard the U.S.S. Durham.

By contrast, Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population is steadily increasing. Similarly, Israel permits its one million Muslim residents to freely build minarets, wear burqas and pray in the streets – activities that are variously illegal in the "progressive" nations of Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and France.

Part of the difference, I believe, is that Judaism does not proselytize or demand that everyone become Jewish. The prophet Isaiah referred to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem as a "house for all nations." In fact Maimonides states that the popularity of Christianity and Islam are part of God’s plan to spread the ideals of monotheism throughout the world.

Think about this next time someone accuses Israel of “racism” or “apartheid.”

A photo has been hurtling through cyberspace (via Facebook, natch), showing an "Israeli soldier" ostensibly pointing his rifle at a little Palestinian girl, while digging his boot into her chest.

Alert media monitors noted that the soldier depicted in the photo could not possibly be Israeli, as the rifle is an AK-47 (the IDF uses M16 and M4 weapons), and both the boots and pants do not match IDF uniforms.

So where did the libelous photo originate? At an anti-Israeli "street theater" exhibition in the Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain. Here's the uncropped image:

Of course, none of this is new. As an Aish.com film documents, Facebook is filled with anti-Israel imagery.

As I demonstrate in my new book, David & Goliath, there is a cottage industry ― affectionately known as Pallywood ― dedicated to producing pro-Palestinian images. When Palestinian officials alleged that Israel was using radioactive uranium and nerve gas against civilians, official PA television broadcast fake "news footage" of "victims" plagued by vomiting and convulsions. Another clip from state-run Palestinian TV used actors to depict Israeli soldiers "raping and murdering" a Palestinian girl in front of her horrified parents.

And then there's the time that Palestinian actors staged a "funeral" for unsuspecting journalists. This Pallywood production ― secretly videotaped by an Israeli drone ― shows a man walking over to a stretcher, lying down, being wrapped in a shroud, and being carried in the "funeral procession." When the "dead body" falls off the stretcher, he stands up and climbs back on. And when the "corpse" is dropped a second time, he stomps off angrily ― apparently regarding his own funeral as too dangerous to his health.

And now we have the Bahrain photo ― just another salvo in the Israeli-Arab cyber war. If you ever doubted how fast things spread through the Internet, click on this link to Google images (mouse over the images to see what website they're posted on).

About this Blog

Shraga's Blog presents an eclectic mix of insights on current topics through the lens of Torah Judaism.
The author, Rabbi Shraga Simmons, holds a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and
rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. He is a senior editor of Aish.com. He was the founding
editor of HonestReporting.com and is the author of a new book,
David & Goliath: The Explosive Inside Story of Media Bias in
the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (2012).